Kansas Trail News for October 21, 2013, via Sunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy:
Dedication Of Trail At Marquette
There will be a dedication of the two-mile Marquette Pioneer Trail (formerly the Three Bridges Trail) at Marquette on Saturday October 26 at 4:30 p.m. at the first bridge east of the grain elevators. The rail-trail surface is rolled and packed asphalt millings suitable for road bicycles, walkers, joggers and wheelchair users. There is also a nature trail loop that runs around the football and baseball fields which connects with the Marquette Pioneer Trail. It is hoped that someday Marquette Pioneer Trail will connect with the proposed Smoky Hill Recreational Trail which would stretch between Marquette and Lindsborg in the old K-4 right-of-way. The initiator and coordinator for this project has been Marquette City Clerk Fred Peterson. He reports that special federal funds may be available for development of the eight-mile Smoky Hill Trail because it follows the Prairie Scenic Byway. The trail would link up with the Meadowlark Trail in Lindsborg. The public is cordially invited to attend this milestone dedication.
Special Destination For Southwind Rail Trail Users
Trail users now have an incentive to ride or walk or jog to Humboldt on the new Southwind Rail Trail which links up with the Prairie Spirit Trail in Iola:
Stacy’s Cakes in historic downtown Humboldt has been listed as 11 of “20 Reasons We Love Kansas” in the Fall 2013 Kansas! Magazine. For more information go to: www.stacycakeshumboldt.com
Special Bike Problem In Amsterdam
The people of Amsterdam The Netherlands, have a special problem: there’s not enough room in which to park bicycles. According to the New York Times (6-21-13): “In a city of 800,000, there are 880 bicycles, the government estimates, four times the number of cars. In the past two decades, travel by bike has grown by 40 percent so that now about 32 percent of all trips within the city are by bike, compared with 22 percent by car.”This has created traffic jams of bicycles and bikes are being locked to everything in sight. So, over the next two decades the city will invest $135 million to improve biking infrastructure including the creation of 38,000 bike parking racks in hot spots. This was pushed by the powerful Fietsersbond or Cyclists’ Union which has 4,000 local members.
Update On Rail-Trails In Cherokee County
Steve and Cathy Bolek of Baxter Springs are in the process of refining their proposal to develop a network of trails in Cherokee County. Phase I would now encompass creating a two-mile loop trail primarily using two abandoned rail corridors within Baxter Springs. It would also involve building a trail from the high school to the museum. Phase II could be extending the loop trail north and east toward Galena. The couple decided that something had to be done after discovering that after moving to Baxter Springs from Springfield, Missouri, they had gained extra weight because recreational trails aren’t available in the community of about 4,500. So, they have decided to take action. Cathy, a former school counselor, knows how to write grant proposals and Steve, a former realtor, knows how to fundraise. Their start-up group has become a division of Sunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy which already has 501(c)(3) status and has considerable experience in developing rail-trails.
Kanza Annual Meeting To Be In Osage City
The 2013 Annual Meeting of Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy will be held on Saturday, November 23 in Osage City. Registration starts at 11:15 a.m. with lunch being served at 12:00 noon. Linda Craghead, Assistant Secretary of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, will begin the keynote address at 12:30 a.m. to be followed by the President’s remarks, division reports, and election of board members. The meeting will be held in the Osage City Senior Center which is located at 604 Market Street in Osage City. Lunch is $10.00 per person.Please RSVP by Nov. 15 by emailing fsmeyer@tctelco.net (payment at meeting). All trail enthusiasts are invited. Membership dues are $15.00 per household. Around 2:00 p.m. we will adjourn to enjoy the Flint Hills Nature Trail’s magnificent autumn beauty and serenity.
Kansas Trail News is published by Clark H. Coan, Public Information Specialist for Sunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy, Inc. and Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy, P.O. Box 44-2043, Lawrence, KS 66044, 785-842-3458. Reprinted with permission. If you have any trail news you’d like to share, please contact us.Post tags: Kansas Trail News
